During his press conference after Game 4, LeBron James alluded to the fact that Draymond Green called him some unkind things during their tiff at the end of the game. He was apparently more specific when talking to ESPN’s Chris Broussard after the game, telling the reporter that Green called him a “bitch,” and admitting that he hasn’t been that angry on a basketball court in a long time.
The Undefeated heard the same story from another player, and has few more specifics on what exactly was said:
According to sources, Green looked James dead in the face and called him a “b—-.”
One NBA player in earshot of the trash-talk told The Undefeated that James responded by saying that he was the father of three kids and a man.
Green responded back, according to the player, by saying: “You’re still a b—-.”
This really isn’t all that surprising, given that Green is one of the mouthiest players in the league. “You’re a bitch” seems to be his go-to insult, too. Here he is calling Steven Adams a bitch during the Western Conference finals:
James has certainly heard worse things on the court, and so it was likely a confluence of events that got him so upset at the end of Game 4. His team was about to go down 3-1 in the Finals, he had just been slapped in the ball bag by a guy who has made that his signature move, and then he had to deal with that same guy calling him a bitch. You can see how one might be annoyed in that situation.
Meanwhile, the Warriors don’t seem to be buying James’s grievance. When asked about James’s reaction to Green’s insults, Klay Thompson was almost tauntingly dismissive:
Warriors forward Marreese Speights also had little sympathy for LeBron, all but calling him a thin-skinned tattle tale after the game (via ESPN):
“On that court, a lot of things are said. People say bad stuff to everybody on the court all the time. You’re just in a situation that, you want to get a guy suspended. You started it. You stepped on a man’s neck. Man ain’t even hit him in the balls, though. It’s kind of a messed up situation.”
If nothing else, we can thank Green for giving us a good reason to tune into Game 5. Not only are the Warriors without one of their best players, they have a fed-up LeBron James coming after a team that’s done nothing but smirk and call him a little baby over the last two days. He laughed at Thompson’s comments and claimed he would be taking “the high road,” but it’s safe to assume that James will be taking the court tonight with a little extra motivation. If there was ever time for him to go out and score 50 and possibly make this an interesting series, it’s now.